Gazing out of their church office window to a professional arts building across the way, two young pastors imagined a place where people could go to find healing and hope in a loving, professional atmosphere.  The two pastors, Dr. William Enright and Dr. Charles Alcorn, were serving the First Presbyterian Church of Glen Ellyn at the time. Their decision to pursue the idea in earnest came with their congregation’s blessing and eventual formation of a “Living Mission Fund.”  This fund and a subsequent endowment led to the Center’s start-up.  Seven other local churches and parishes soon joined in support.

So in the fall of 1976, with a few pieces of hand-me-down furniture and a the use of an office in the basement of the First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn, the Central DuPage Pastoral Counseling Center officially opened its doors. Dr. Charles Alcorn served as the Center’s first executive director.

Now, years later, we look back on our relocation “crisis” as the blessing that helped secure our future. It was during this time that the Center’s endowment was established through the DuPage Community Foundation, which continues to strengthen the Center and secure its future.

In 2006, after 30 years at the helm, Dr. Alcorn stepped down from his role as Executive Director to take up the challenge of growing the Center’s endowment. Dr. James Natter, who served as the Center’s Associate Director since 1992, was elected to the position of Executive Director and continues to serve in that capacity today.